The Prayer Warriors: Redemption Song
by Boat-Builder
Summary: A relapsed Christian rediscovers what it means to belong.


_Laziness leads to poverty, hard work makes you rich.  
Proverbs 10:4_

**Chapter 01 – Left of the Dial**

Depression kinda happens. It creeps up on your, strangles you and doesn`t let go. It sucks. It annoys. It makes you feel like a burden on everyone. You`re scared to let every down and no body at the same times. Depression kinda sucks.

I sat in my couch bored out of my mind. I`d smoked a joint an hour ago. It made me feel calm somewhat. But I wasn`t in the mood again. Maybe tomorrow? Probably? I clicked through the channels hopping from one channel to another. Shopping to sports. A documentary on cats. Yet another documentary on the Nazis or something. The news networks. Boing political stuff. The world going to hell. Fires burning. Kids being locked up in charges. I felt real bad. But there wasn`t anything I could do to help. I felt helpless.

The phone rang. The ringing echoed for a bit as I built up my courage to stand up. Whoever was calling was determined. It kept going and going. I walked across the room and answered.

"Hullo?" I asked.

"Hi…" the voice asked. I could barely recognise it. Was it a stranger? I hoped it was stranger. The last thing I wanted to do right now was talking to a person I know. Too many questions I didn`t want answer. "It`s Dave here calling."

Dave was an old high school friend. We`d known each other since kindergarten. It was around sophomore we began drifting apart. He was getting into community stuff while I got mainly in trouble. After the first time I was caught smoking pot the friendship was severed for good. Or so I thought so.

"Hi… Dave," I said with uncertainty. "Haven`t talked in a while."

"Nah we haven`t," he laughed. The chuckle was unnerving. Was he laughing with me? Or at me? "So what`ve you been up to?"

"Nothing really," I said with as much honest I could muster. "A bit of this. And a bit of that."

In reality I was unemployed. I took maybe a semester at college but flunked out. Since then I hadn`t bothered. Failing only made my depression worse. Plus an art degree was basically useless anyway. Heck, anyone could do a scribble nowadays. No one wanted artists now. Not crap ones at least. I wasn`t going to say that to Dave however.

"Hey I remembered you were a pretty good artist," my old friend said reminding me of my past failures. He had to bring it didn`t he. "I was thinking you could maybe I don`t know help out with a mural we`re doing at our church. I think you`d be really good for the job."

"Well I think about it," I said. In reality I wanted this conversation to end. "Maybe not. I`m a bit busy at the moment."

"Okay, okay," Dave probably could sense I was lying. "But if you change your mind feel free to call me."

"Will do," I replied before hanging up.

I slowly walked towards the fridge. Opening the door I pulled my hand forward to grab a can of coke. I cracked the top and began to drink it. I thought about what Dave had said. Part of me wanted to say yes. The other side told me I didn`t want to.

I had not gone to church in years. My parents use to force me to go. Each Sunday like clockwork. I use to be bored out of my mind. Instead of listening to the Sunday school teacher my friends and I would crack jokes and discuss the latest episodes on TV. I mainly ignored what the church said. I always thought it was hateful gay-bashing stuff anyway. I read the bible once. The words were long and boring. And nothing seemed to happen. I remember the Sunday teacher teaching us about a flood or something. I couldn`t fathom why a loving God would kill so many people. Then there was Moses and the Egyptian Pharaoh. Science could easily disprove the parting of the Red Sae. And don`t get me started with the ten plagues. The biggest offender to the truth was Jesus Christ himself. I never understood why and how one man could save everyone`s souls. Here I was brooding over nothing. If Jesus had redeem all our souls surely I wouldn`t be so depressed right now. I didn`t care. Nor was I interested in responding to my old friend. I was kempt to pretend our phone call hadn`t occurred.

Deciding nothing was on, I went to bed. I drifted away rather quickly. I was however rudely awaken by a sudden knocking sound. I shot up. But I wasn`t in my bedroom. I was instead in a cloud up in the sky. A light beamed from yonder. A booming voice called out.

"Cometh thy son," a large boding figure said. "Cometh to church and thou will learn happiness."

"Like that's going to happen," I said in my head.

"Thou friend offer thy olive branch. Take thee. Thou will be cured. Thou will know the truth again."

I suddenly awoke. It was only a dream. I was eager to pee. As I stood next to the toilet I convinced myself I was going to reply to my friends. Even if the voice had been nothing but a dream I thought it was best to follow it`s advice. I didn`t want to admit it but I did feel lonely. I had fallen out with my family years ago and barely had friends anyway. Maybe it would do me some good.

The next day I rang Dave again telling him I would help with the mural.


End file.
